The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), which undertakes activities for standardizing recent mobile communication systems, is in the process of creating specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS), for achieving an all-IP architecture, as described in NPL 1. The EPS is a mobile communication system through which mobile operators and the like provide mobile telephone services, and is structured including a core network called Evolved Packet Core (EPC), an access network based on the radio communication standard called Long Term Evolution (LTE), and the like.
Furthermore, in the process by the 3GPP of creating EPS specifications, the Network-based IP flow Mobility (NBIFOM) is discussed (see NPL 1). The NBIFOM is a technical item that aims to allow one device to simultaneously utilize a 3GPP interface and a non-3GPP interface (for example, WLAN).
In the related art, one PDN connection accommodates a communication path, a bearer, or a transfer path through either a 3GPP access network (for example, LTE access network) or a non-3GPP access network (for example, a WLAN access network).
The NBIFOM maintains a state in which a single PDN connection simultaneously accommodates a bearer, a communication path, or a transfer path through a 3GPP access network, and a bearer, a communication path, or a transfer path through a non-3GPP access network. Such a single PDN connection is defined as a multi-access PDN connection.
It is also discussed for the NBIFOM to stipulate an operation mode indicating an endpoint node with an initiating function of switching a communication path. Specifically, it is discussed for the NBIFOM to classify such an operation mode into a UE-Initiated mode and a Network-Initiated mode.
Terminal devices and devices included in a core network and an access network are capable of transmitting and/or receiving data on a communication path through an appropriate access network for every application by using an NBIFOM function.
Furthermore, an endpoint node configured to initiate switching a flow of the multi-access PDN connection established by using the NBIFOM function is configured based on the operation mode.